DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH PROJECT PROGRAM SUMMARY The Developmental Research Project Program (DRPP) will support an expanded cadre of investigators in the HiSREP network under INBRE IV, substantially expanding, in turn, the capacity and hence opportunity for biomedical research in Hawaii. Building on the success in INBRE III where the DRPP focused support on promising junior investigators (JIs) at three primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), DRPP in INBRE IV will additionally offer multiple competitive funding mechanisms with opportunity for investigators at all levels, a richer program in professional development, and wider, organized access to core facilities, instrumentation and bioinformatics / biostatistics support. In addition to identification of new JIs at our PUIs, the new competitive granting mechanisms will be: Pilot Projects, New Initiatives, Collaborative Grants and Teaching-Postdoctoral Fellowships. For all of the grants, collaborations will be encouraged; however, for Collaborative Grants, priority will be given for joint proposals from a PUI investigator and a R1 Lead Institution mid-career or senior investigator as part of an integrated research team. Connection of all research to the two themes, Natural Products and Molecular Medicine, will be emphasized, particularly through availability of unique resources, such as biorepositories, and programmatic expertise, such as the UH Cancer Center Natural Products & Experimental Therapeutics (NPET) program. For awardees, expectations and outcomes will be guided by scientific and career mentoring plans, balanced by the teacher-scholar model for faculty at PUIs and CCs, where teaching demands are significant. This will be coupled to transparent investigator, project and administration assessments, leading to constructive exchange and responsive action plans. Lastly, a strongly supportive role for the lead institution is providing resource access (grant management, core instrument facilities, tissue and animal work, bioinformatics, biostatistics). DRPP will accomplish its objectives through three specific aims: (1) Provide catalytic funding to support emerging research across the spectrum of investigators in the HiSREP network; (2) Provide multifaceted mentoring and professional development programs to emerging investigators; and (3) Support and expand core facilities.